This blog is for Polk County Florida small farms and pesticide applicators as a method of communication and sharing information. This blog is administered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension Polk County Extension Agent, Mary Beth Henry.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Third in NRCS TSP webinar series

Webinar third part of series on becoming NRCS Technical Service Provider

The January 31 webinar “Virtual Tour of Organic Farm Conservation Activity Planning,” will be presented by Harriet Behar, organic specialist with Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES, organic inspector, and approved Technical Service Provider (TSP) with the NRCS.

She will take participants on a virtual tour of a farm, identifying conservation concerns and possible mitigation strategies to address those concerns as well as areas that affect organic certification. In addition, she will cover the manner in which these issues will be incorporated into the written NRCS Conservation Activity Plan 138 for the transition to organic.

The webinar will be the third in a four-part series providing aid to those who might want to become an NRCS approved TSP. The two previous webinars can be found under the list of webinars at www.attra.ncat.org, and the links to the individual webinars are listed below.

Harriet will draw on her experience from efforts in Wisconsin. This webinar will be a great opportunity to better understand the details of being a TSP for NRCS working specifically with organic production systems.

The final webinar in the series will be presented Thursday, March 21, at 1 p.m. EST and will be on the topic of how NRCS TSPs can support biodiversity conservation in organic systems.

About the presenter: Harriet Behar, an Organic Specialist with the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), has 16 years experience as an organic inspector of crops, livestock, and processing facilities in addition to more than 30 years of experience in the growing and marketing of organic crops, vegetables and livestock products. She and her husband have a biodynamic farm near Gays Mills, Wisconsin.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - ATTRA - was developed and is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). The project is funded through a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.

Visit the NCAT website for more information on our other sustainable agriculture and energy projects.